


Clone Sweet Clone

by Debi_C



Series: Second Chances. [3]
Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Clones, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-10-11
Updated: 2011-10-11
Packaged: 2017-10-24 13:00:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,976
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/263740
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Debi_C/pseuds/Debi_C
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Jon, Jack's clone, finally catches the clues that everyone keep throwing at him.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Clone Sweet Clone

Chapter 1  
Daniel Jackson looked up from his desk as he heard someone thumping his door open. A bespectacled teenager with long blond hair managed to push the door open and stagger in under the weight of the pile of books he was carrying. The older man quickly got to his feet and grabbed some of the heavy volumes before they tumbled to the ground. "Hey," Daniel greeted the newcomer. "That's quite a load you've got there."

Danny, the younger version of himself, gratefully handed off half the stack. "Jeez, do these people ever return your books or do they try to start their own library?"

"Yes and no. Here, let's put them down on the couch for now. I'll help you put them away later." Daniel looked at Danny with a fond smile. "So how's your day been going?"

"Honestly, I don't know how you did this all by yourself for so long." He looked abashed. "Well, I guess I do, but I don't know why you, hum, we, did it."

"Face it kiddo, I'm, well we're, control freaks." Daniel smiled at him. "We want to do everything ourselves."

"You're mixing your phrases again." Danny grinned back. "That's a bad habit for a linguist."

"Too many years around Jack," the older man nodded and indicated the table against the wall. "Here, I've cleared you a workspace until you can get your own office." He indicated a neat area with a new computer already installed on the tabletop. "Sergeant Taylor set it up for you and installed most of my programs on it."

Danny looked at the machine and nodded. "This is great. Colonel McClelland and SG12 just brought in some tablets from a mission. They'll need to be translated for General Davis and everyone down in the office just looked at them like they were gibberish."

"Really? Did you get a look at them?"

"Yes, and no they don't start out, 'Thou shalt not... "

"Good, because McClelland doesn't look much like Charlton Heston." Daniel shook his head,

Danny raised a Jacksonesque eyebrow. "You've been around Jack too long."

Daniel just matched him in expression. "Ya think, Junior?"

"Hey, it's bad enough I have to be Danny, don't hang that moniker on me too."

"Okay, I won't, and it is rather archaic at best." The older man nodded. "So, did you bring a copy of the tablets?"

Danny eagerly unfolded the rubbings. "I thought you'd never ask."

~~~

Danny Jackson came into the apartment that he shared with Jon O'Neill. After the morning working with Daniel, he'd spent the other half of the day working with General Davis trying to recreate himself and his scholastic records. It was one thing to be reborn and get them reinstated, but it was apparently another issue all together to get documents on an entirely new persona.

He didn't mind being known as Daniel Jackson, Junior, the long lost son of the brilliant archaeologist, Egyptologist, and linguist that worked for the United States Air Force in the super secret Cheyenne Mountain complex. But for him to get put on the payroll he had to be qualified to do his job, which included his scholastic degrees. The good thing was that he actually was getting to be more than sixteen, which was the age he looked.

Daniel laughed and said that if he remembered their youthful years, they had always had the problem of looking younger than they actually were. Well, now he had it in spades, since time-wise he was only about two years old. Thank goodness Loki had created him as a teenager instead of a baby. THAT would have been impossible.

Now if he could only convince Jon that he was of legal age. When the renegade Asgard geneticist had created him for study, he had succeeded in giving him the consciousness of his original age in the immature body of a fifteen-year-old. This had also included the thoughts and feelings of himself at his adult age... meaning that he was in love with Jack O'Neill just like his original self. Well, that Daniel had finally landed his big fish when the General had retired some years back. Their affair of the heart had culminated in the two of them becoming a couple. Danny, however, was still trying to convince Jon that he was, in fact, an adult and one who wanted him very badly.

Jon wasn't buying it however. He still referred to Danny as his roommate, a kid, jailbait, and way too young to be interested in him 'that way'. In fact, Danny was interested in him in exactly that way, if you included the terms passionate love, lust and hurting dreadfully.

And Jon couldn't even use the military's homophobia as a good reason. While it still wasn't encouraged, the overall acceptance of same sex relationships had greatly improved in the decade and a half that he'd been a DNAsicle. Don't ask, don't tell, was still the rule only now they really meant it.

But the older resident of the apartment was no where to be seen. Evidently Jon had decided to have a night out without his roomie tagging along and boring the other jet jockeys with his ancient gibberish. Well, he didn't own Jon, that much was certain, and the older man could at least go out without being carded to prove his age. Danny settled down on the table with his notes and rubbings and tried examine his work again from a different perspective.

~~~

Jon came into the apartment quietly that night. It was well after 2300 hours and he figured Danny would be fast asleep by now. He'd spent a night out with some of the other pilots that were graduating with him from the F117 class. They would spend the rest of the week flying the supersonic fighters before their actual qualifying solo run in the jet. Then they would go on to the next level of training, the F302. There they would continue to train and qualify in the hybrid air and space fighter. After that, most of them would go on to join the SFW Snakeskinners. The evening had turned into a typical raucous boys night out with lots of alcohol and bad jokes. Jon had enjoyed himself, but he'd been glad to return home to Danny.

He was however dismayed to find the young man slumped over the kitchen table, his head resting on some antique book and some onionskin rubbings.

Standing a moment to look at his roommate, Jon thought that he had never seen such a perfect face. The skin was that of a baby, not even evidencing stubble yet. The high brow, the arched eyebrows, the straight nose and the perfect lips were right from a bust of Michelangelo. Only the expression was wrong. It was scrunched and flattened by its book pillow, and there were worry creases that were beginning to take shape between the eyebrows already. He was much too young in Jon's estimation for Danny to be forming them already.

He reached over and gently laid his hand on the narrow shoulders. "Hey, kiddo. It's time for all teenaged clones to be in bed already."

Danny opened one of his blue eyes and peered up at his friend, then he yawned. "What time is it?"

"It's just about midnight, Danny. What are you doing up so late?"

"Oh, I was just trying to figure this translation out from P2X357. SG12 brought it back with them. Neither Daniel nor I could make heads or tails of it. He finally left at 7:00 P.M. so I thought I bring the rubbings home. The script kinda looks familiar somehow."

Jon pulled another chair out from under the table and sat down next to him. "Why would it look familiar to you and not to him?"

"Don't know exactly. It resembles an Ancient dialect to me, and I'm a little closer time-wise to being ascended than he is. He might have forgotten something by now."

That sort of made sense to Jon. It had been more than fifteen years since Daniel had been among the glowy folks. For Danny it seemed more like one. "So you think it's in Ancient?"

"I'm not sure, but it could be." The younger man frowned again, deepening the furrows between his brows and chewing on his lip.

Unconsciously, Jon reached forward and touched the perfect mouth. "Don't do that, it looks like it hurts."

"What?" Danny looked at him perplexed.

"The lip chewing thing... it's always bothered me."

"Why? It's my lip," Danny asked sharply. "You don't seem to want to claim it anytime soon."

Jon pulled his hand back. "What does that mean?"

The younger man shook his head. "Nothing. I'm just tired. I think I'll go to bed now."

Jon looked at him in confusion. "Okay. You know, when you're tired, you sound about fifteen."

"Thanks, I'll remember that." The boyish clone got up from the table and shuffled the papers carefully so as not to damage them. "I have to get up early. Paul wants to see me first thing in the morning."

"General Davis? Why?"

"We're trying to figure out which college I need to get my PhD from. The Academy doesn't offer much scholastic validation in that area. They're only good for my linguist's documentation. I may have to specialize in Meso-American cultures because they're easier to deal with than the Oriental Institute of Chicago."

"You seem to spend a lot of time with the General," Jon commented as he helped his friend clear the table of his work materials.

Danny looked at him oddly. "He is my boss you know."

"Yeah, funny how that worked out."

The younger man looked at him questioningly. "Well, he is the head of the SGC. Daniel has worked for him for several years now. It makes sense that he'd be interested in getting me certified as quickly as possible."

"I suppose so, but he doesn't pay this much attention to any other guy on Daniel's staff."

"The others all have normal educational backgrounds. You know that. It takes a bit more to create an identity." He looked at Jon oddly. "Why? What difference does it make? As long as it gets done soon so I can start getting that paycheck you were so worried about and I can start paying my own way."

"Hey, I don't need your money," Jon protested. "I can afford to support us. I'll make Major next time around and we can buy a house if you want too."

"We don't need a house. I'm happy here." Danny took the books from Jon and started to carry them into his bedroom. "I just don't like to be dependent on you financially. I want to pay my own way."

"We're fine, Danny." Jon followed him into his room. It was a little smaller than his own. "This place wasn't that much more expensive than my other one. I mean, I know we have to share the bathroom, but... I don't mind. And if you need more money..."

"I don't need an allowance, Jon. You buy me whatever I need... it's just, I'm not used to being dependent... "

"You were dependent on Loki for two years!"

"I lived on a spaceship for two years and I earned every damned piece of food I got with my 'job' as a lab rat, thank you very much." Danny plopped the priceless volumes down on his dresser top, rattling the mirror. "Just like I want to earn my way here." He stopped and took a deep breath. "Look, Jon. this isn't a good time for this discussion. I'm tired and you've been drinking with your buddies. Neither of us is particularly rational right now. Why don't we go to bed and we can talk about this later, okay?"

Jon looked embarrassed. "Okay, okay, that makes sense. I'm sorry about it. I just don't want you to feel like you're a burden on me. I don't mind taking care of you."

"I know that. You've made me feel nothing but welcome since I got here. But I want to earn my own way. I've always taken care of myself before. I'm just not used to being... so useless." Danny flashed him a small sweet smile and looked up at the older man. "I don't want to fight."

"You're not useless," the older man said softly, gently laying his hand on the thin shoulder. "You're the smartest, bravest man I know. We'll get you set up soon and then this will all be taken care of."

"I know, but General Davis is trying to help speed things along. I really don't want to have to go back through my undergraduate years or even my Master's work. He's trying to work on some things called CLEP tests to help me avoid classes."

"Yeah, I took a few of those to help me along too. They're great all right. I'm not sure I could have sat through another statistics class without shooting someone." Jon nodded.

"What are you doing this weekend?" Danny asked his friend in an offhand tone of voice.

The older man looked at him quizzically. "You know I have to go TDY to Nellis to fly my final F117 solo. Why?"

"Well, Daniel has to go to some seminar and Jack wants me to come over and help him with the lawn work. So, I'll be there if you need me for anything."

"Jack?" Jon stared at him. "You're gonna go over there... all weekend?"

"Well, sure. I'd just be alone here anyway. He said we could order in pizza and rent some movies or something." The younger man grinned up at him. "I do need to catch up on normal stuff and he might even let me drink some of Daniel's real beer instead of this watered down American stuff... since I'll be spending the night over there anyway."

"I don't know, Danny." Jon looked at him with concern. "Have you had any since you've... uh, gotten back?"

"I've had some of yours and Coors light is just sad, Jon. At least get some decent stuff."

"Well, then I guess you won't need me around this weekend!" Jon flushed red then turned and stalked out of the bedroom, headed for his own. "You seem like you'll be well entertained."

"It's not like you were gonna be here anyway, was it?" Danny shot back. "Go on! Fly! Be a pilot."

"Danny, I have to... " Jon returned in an frustrated voice. "It's not that I want to leave you alone."

"Yeah, so I hear," the younger man replied in a subdued voice and started stacking his books carefully on the new bookcase in his room. "Have a good time, okay?"

"Danny... "

"Jack's going to pick me up on Saturday morning after he drops Daniel off at the airport. Don't worry about me," Danny said again. "I'll be fine."

~~~

Friday night Jon took his jeep to the Airport at Colorado Springs. He'd offered to leave it for the younger man, but Danny had coolly told him to take it. He didn't have a driver's license yet anyway, and he could always call a cab or an AF car if he needed it badly enough. As Jon drove off, he watched Danny standing on the balcony of their apartment.

That night Danny ate his warmed over Chinese dinner and watched some bad movies on the cable television. He was bored and tempted to call Jack to pick him up early, but he knew that Daniel wouldn't be leaving until the next morning and he didn't want to be a pest to the couple. It would be good enough that he'd be picked up by Jack in the morning. It was only one night after all.

After being bored spitless for several hours, he finally decided to call it a night and went into his bedroom. Stripping off his clothes he climbed into his brand new bed and lay there staring at the ceiling, blinking back tears of frustrated loneliness. He wasn't afraid of being alone. After all he'd spent his childhood alone in a crowd; and then of course he'd had the last two years of solitary life with no one but Loki, the renegade Asgard geneticist, for company, if an owner scientist could be considered company for his lab rat.

But before that, he'd had a family. He'd had SG1. But SG1 was long disbanded and he missed them terribly. He missed Teal'c's gentle humor, Sam's sparkling wit, and most of all he missed Jack's care and love.

Those memories were all lies now. He wasn't that Daniel Jackson anymore. He was a fake, a cheap imitation. The real Daniel had all that now. All he had was Jon, a clone copy like himself, but one who had made his own life and earned his own place among his peers; while he remained just a pale replica of a real person, nameless and useless.

Finally, the loneliness and darkness of the new apartment began to close in. Danny slipped out of his still unfamiliar new bed and sought out the one thing that he could give himself while he was here alone. He went into the next room and climbed into Jon's bed. There at least he had the familiar scent of the one person that he had any claim on. Even though it was only an ephemeral link... it was all he had.

~~~

The next morning there came the expected knock on the front door. When Danny opened it, Jack O'Neill stood there dressed in a green T- shirt and jeans, slouching on the door frame. "Hey."

The youngster stepped back to let him in. He was once again struck by the difference in his friend's appearance. Jack had aged in the fifteen years since Danny had been harvested by the Asgard. His hair was snow white, the slim form had grown leaner and the face more lined. Danny loved him with all his heart. "Hey, yourself."

"You ready to go?" Jack glanced around the large apartment. "Say, this is really nice."

The boy shrugged. "I guess." It was just another place to him. There was no investment here for him.

Jack walked through the living room, looking around at the furnishings and their set up. He frowned when he saw the sliding glass doors that led out to their patio. "I'm not really fond of balconies though." He went outside and peered down the five floors to the pavement. "Have some bad memories about them."

"Really? Jon said the same thing." Danny looked at him oddly. "He hates it when I go outside on it."

"Jeez, I wonder why?"

"I do too... oh, you're saying you know why he's that way."

"You mean you don't remember?" Jack looked at him oddly.

"No. What am I supposed to remember?"

"Back in your old apartment, after your addiction to the Goa'uld light palace, I found you on the outside of the balcony rail about to take a header into the traffic." Jack looked at him in surprise. "You don't remember that?"

"Oh, that." Danny looked like the light bulb had finally gone off in his head. "You know I barely remember that. It's like a dream now... like it was someone else entirely."

"Really? I wonder why?" Jack turned and came back in. "So, do you have everything you need?"

"I suppose so." He had his clothes in a paper bag and his laptop clutched in his hands. "I guess I could have bought a suitcase."

Jack looked at him and shook his head. At least his Daniel had come complete with several sets of clothes and a piece of cardboard luggage. "Don't worry about it. Whatever you need we can get." The boyish face looked up worriedly at him. Jack couldn't resist; he reached out and tousled the long blond hair. "Well, come on then. Let's blow this popsicle stand and I'll make you a breakfast to put some meat on those skinny bones of yours."

Chapter 2  
Jack and Danny spent the day in companionable work around the O'Neill-Jackson residence. The morning was spent mowing the lawn, trimming hedges and edging the walks and borders. Early on, the two had shucked their shirts and were enjoying the warm spring sun on their bodies.

Neighbors came and went up the residential street, stopping to admire and comment on their hard work. Jack easily introduced Danny as his partner's son from an earlier marriage, explaining both the younger man's identity and his uncanny resemblance to Daniel. This elicited a few discussions from the more inquisitive people which Jack handled readily, fending them off from the youngster.

His explanation also had unforeseen benefits. Mrs. Post, the elderly widow who lived next door, promptly brought out some freshly baked cookies and cold milk, commenting on Danny's absent father and his love of her baked goods.

After their quick break, Jack insisted on applying sun screen to the youngster's rapidly pinkening back and shoulders. Danny obviously appreciated not only the thoughtfulness of the gesture but the tactile feeling as he arched up into the older man's touch like a neglected kitten. Jack made a mental note to talk to Jon on his return. This Danny needed to be touched and often. What breakthroughs he'd accomplished in the years before the cloning procedure had all obviously been undermined by Loki's uncaring use of the boy.

That evening after their work was finished, Jack once again distinguished himself with his skill on the grill and they topped their dinner off with ice cream and a twenty-year-old movie. Finally, at about midnight, they decided to call it an evening.

Danny actually felt more at home when he finally slid into Jack's guest room bed then he did at the apartment. He had spent many a night in it years ago before the cloning procedure ever took place. As he watched the shadows form and fade on the ceiling, he finally drifted off into what started as a dreamless sleep. But it was not to last.

Early that morning an electrical storm moved into Colorado Springs from the surrounding mountains. The low rolling thunder triggered one of Danny's nightmares.

He was lying strapped to an examination table that resembled one out of an old horror movie. He was held down by restraints at his throat, wrists, waist and ankles. The machinery that was being used on him growled and pulsed in an imitation of thunder. Electrical bolts flashed over his head between two electrodes. Loki the Asgard stood next to the bed wearing medical scrubs. He was holding a scalpel and a hypodermic needle. As he bent over to use the instruments on Danny the young man jerked to a sitting position on the bed, a scream caught in his throat.

~~~

Jack was abruptly awakened from a sound sleep by an unusually loud clap of thunder and the feel of a cold wind sweeping throughout the house. He got up to see if he'd neglected to properly fasten the back door or if a window had been broken by the storm.

Walking into the living room, he was surprised to find the rear French doors wide open. Jack could see a young man's slender form standing out on the deck amidst the lashing wind and pouring rain wearing nothing but sweat pants.

He immediately ran out into the storm, only taking time to close the door behind him for the protection of his furniture.

"Danny?" He approached the youngster, shouting to make himself heard above the thunder and wind. "Danny, what are you doing out here?" Jack reached out and grasped the bare shoulders, half expecting him to jerk away from him. Surprisingly, he met no resistance. The younger man was ice cold from exposure. Jack wrapped a protective arm around the stiff body and pulled him back toward the door. "Danny, come on son. Let's get out of the rain."

The blue eyes that finally turned and met his were bleak and empty. "Come on inside." Jack guided the youngster into the living room and sat him down on the chair facing the fire place. He wrapped his soaked guest in the couch's throw and left the youngster briefly to light the gas logs in the fireplace. He then went into the kitchen and put a pot of water on to heat for some tea. As he returned, he grabbed several dish towels and went back to where he'd left his water logged friend.

Danny was still sitting motionless on the chair, staring at the flames dancing through the ceramic logs. Jack came up behind him and began to rub the unresponsive form briskly with a towel, both to dry and restore circulation. When the kettle whistled Jack took a moment to drop the tea bags into it, then returned to his task of reviving his soaked, frozen house guest.

Finally Danny began to respond to the tactile sensation of the rough terrycloth. The shivering had stopped and the tight shoulders loosened.

"Hey, you back with me here?" Jack asked softly.

The slim form sagged back against the chair.

"Danny? You okay?"

This time the answer was a nod.

"So, what happened?"

A head shake.

"Have a dream?"

Another negative shake, a pause, then a nod.

"Gonna talk to me?"

A shrug.

"Come on, Danny. Throw me a bone here."

Not even a shrug.

Jack pulled back a moment, then went into the kitchen to get the tea. He came back carrying two cups to find that Danny was now sitting cross-legged on the rug in front of the fire. Jack handed him a steaming cup of tea and pulled the chair up close behind the silent teenager. As the youngster stared into the flames, he sat his own cup down and laid warm hands on the slender shoulders in front of him, gently rubbing up and down the biceps. As he ran his hands over the slender back and arms he felt the roughness of old scars that the boy still carried from his time with Loki.

After massaging the younger man's shoulders for a while, Jack began to notice a softening of the muscles and a slump in the stiff body in front of him. He leaned down to wrap his arms around the younger man. "What's going on, Danny?" he asked softly into the now warm neck. "I can't help you if I don't know what's wrong."

"Nothing."

"There is nothing, or you think there's nothing I can do?"

A deep soul wrenching sigh later, the younger man leaned back against him. "There's nothing that can be done."

Jack bent down close to the youngster. "Then I'd say there was definitely something wrong." He could see the sad expression on the youthful face in front of him. "Daniel said everything's been going well at work, so it has to be with you and Jon."

"Jon's fine," Danny mumbled. "Everything's fine."

"Yeah, I can see just how fine everything is." He hugged the younger man's shoulders. "C'mon, drink your tea. Then we'll talk."

Another sigh. "Talk. It's useless to talk."

"That bad, huh?"

Another nod, "I'm still cold."

Jack watched him, knowing that the younger man's chill was not brought about by the cold air of the room or the dampness of the weather. "It will get better, Danny. You know that."

"No, it doesn't, not for me."

"Why? Why not for you?"

"Because I'm nobody... and nobody ever gets warm."

"Linguistic games, Danny? You know I'm not that smart."

That elicited a chuckle. "You are one of the two smartest men I know."

"Oh, and who would that be?"

"You and Daniel."

"Really good company to be kept in," Jack said softly.

Danny nodded.

"What about Jon?"

"What about Jon?"

"I don't think he's very smart. I know I wasn't at his age." Jack gingerly lowered himself to sit on the floor bracing his back against the chair and pulling Danny over to lean against him.

Danny looked at him curiously. "What do you mean?"

"I didn't realize what was important. I was still career driven, still trying to prove who and what I was... not realizing what I was letting slip through my fingers."

"You mean Charlie?"

Jack nodded, "And Sara; sunshine and shadow, laughter and tears. I used them; then I used them up." He took a sip of his tea and smiled down at the younger man. "Now I know better."

"Do you?" Danny pressed.

Jack nodded. "I've learned the hard way." He sighed. "I think that happiness is a finite state. You're only given so much in a lifetime. If you don't take it and use it properly, you can lose it." He looked into the fire over Danny's shoulder. "I lost it once, then I got it back only to lose it again. When Daniel came back, descended, I tried to deny that he was important to me. I was wrong. I almost lost him again. The posting to Home World Security Command looked important enough to risk it, but when I got there and was alone again I realized that I had screwed up. Even I can be taught. So I gave it all up, retired, and came home to my Daniel." He shifted, sliding closer to the young man, the hard floor uncomfortable on his bony hips.

"To your Daniel... is that what he is?"

"Well, I don't own him. He could leave if he wanted to. It's my job to see that he never wants to go."

"And his job is to keep you?"

"Yep, that's the way a relationship works. It takes two to tango ya know."

"What if, what if one doesn't want the other to stay?"

Jack turned to look at him with concern. "You don't want Jon to stay?"

"God, no. I just think sometimes that I'm an inconvenience. You know, a responsibility that got foisted on him by the Asgard 'cause they didn't know what else to do with me."

"No, I don't believe that," Jack replied reasonably. "That first Christmas he was here he spent some time with us. He prayed for a Daniel of his own. Hell," he chuckled, "the little rat even tried to steal mine."

"But that was a long time ago wasn't it? Fifteen years ago?"

"Yeah, but... "

"But, he's changed. He's gotten older, wiser, he has ambitions now. He's a pilot." Danny shivered again. "He knows that he'll never get what he wants with a stone around his neck."

Jack reached over and put his arm around the still too cold body and pulled the boy close. "You're no stone, Danny. You can be his wings."

"I'm an anchor that weighs him down." Danny relaxed against him, allowing Jack to rub his arm in comfort. "I'll keep him from accomplishing everything he wants."

"No, you won't. You'll help him be the man he should be." The older man kissed him on the top of his head. "Come on, let's go to bed."

"Whwhat?"

"Bed, warmth, sleep... you know, comfort."

"Oh, I thought you meant... " Danny shook his head.

"I did mean that," Jack smiled comfortingly. "But just to sleep."

"Sleep?" He looked at the older man.

"Yep, sleep. It's good for what ails you." He nodded. "When Charlie was alive, and he had a nightmare, Sarah and I would take him to our bed and hold him safe. That way no monsters could get him."

"Can you protect me from the monsters?"

"Yes, Danny. I promise. There will be no monsters tonight."

The two went up to the master bedroom and Jack found a pair of Daniel's old sweats for Danny to sleep in. While the youngster changed into dry clothing, Jack re-secured the house, and then he returned, climbing into his bed and leaving the ultimate decision to Danny of where he wanted to sleep.

Danny stood there in the bedroom, looking undecided for a moment. Jack pulled back the covers and watched him. Then, with a look of chagrin on his face, the younger man crawled into the bed next to him. Jack turned out the light and slid his arm easily around the slight body. "Sleep now, Danny. No one can get you here."

"Not even Loki?"

"He'd have to take us both. That's why I'm holding you."

"Not even Jon?"

"Jon would never hurt you."

"Why."

"Because I would never hurt you, and for all his big mouth and stupidity, he loves you, Danny. Just like I do."

There was a long silent pause. Jack had thought that the younger man had fallen asleep but after a few minutes, just as he was about to drowse off, another question came. "You love your Daniel?"

"Yes, I do. More than anything."

"What would he say if he found us like this?"

"He'd climb in the other side of you and let me protect you both."

"You're sure?" Danny sounded unconvinced.

"Positive."

"Okay,"

"Okay, then. Get some sleep, and tomorrow we'll go get some breakfast and do something until Jon gets back into town."

Chapter 3  
Jon had been lucky. He'd gotten on one of the first flights in the F- 117 on Saturday morning and then, after a night of carousing with the other pilots in the program, he'd been able to catch a flight out of Las Vegas early Sunday morning. He was on the top of the world.

He'd thought of Danny frequently in his time away, often at the oddest times. In the briefing room, in his evening quarters, even at the bar he would catch himself wondering what the younger man was doing in his absence. Was he at home alone, thinking of him? Was he reading some esoteric volume that Daniel had given him to study? Was he sleeping in his new bed that Jon had picked out especially for him with the extra thick pillow top mattress or was he crashed out on his favorite corner of the old comfortable leather couch in their living room? The different images kept playing out in his mind's eye; the light glinting off the fair hair, the blue eyes shining up at him, the soft voice that called to him. Yep, he had it bad.

As he waited to collect his luggage at the Colorado Springs Airport, he noticed another familiar face. Doctor Daniel Jackson stepped up to the carousel to pick up his own leather suitcase. It was perfect timing. The older man looked tired and frazzled around the edges as if he hadn't gotten any sleep.

"Daniel! Doctor Jackson!"

The distinguished looking older man glanced up and around, examining the faces he saw for familiarity. He saw the brown haired man waving at him from another queue. He waved back. "Jon."

"Hey, how was your trip?" Jon stepped over the dividing chain between them.

"It was good." Daniel pushed his glasses back up on his nose and smiled at the young Air Force officer. "I got a lot done."

"More funding?"

"Yes," the scientist grinned at the young O'Neill's excitement. "And authorization for more military and civilian slots."

Jon reached up and pulled a piece of sky down. "YES!"

Daniel laughed at his exuberance. "So, you just got back also?"

"I just came down to get my bags, then I'm heading over to your house to pick up Danny."

The older man nodded, "How was your trip?"

"Great! I passed my F117 certification with one of the highest scores logged."

"Excellent! I knew you would." Daniel smiled at his excitement and pride. "You always were a great pilot."

"Well, I was having some problems with the simulator, but it was evidently a programming glitch. I knew that plane could fly like I wanted it to."

The older man nodded. "Have you called the house yet? They may be going out for breakfast."

"Breakfast? It's 10:30."

"Oh, I know Jack is up but Danny may have slept in." Daniel laughed at his expression.

"Yeah, with all the yard work, he probably did," Jon agreed. "Along with your beer."

"Oh, yes, real beer." The older man nodded.

"There's my duffle bag, Daniel. I'll grab it and we can go get the jeep. Save you some cab-fare."

"Thanks, Jon." Daniel lifted his bag. "I'll pick up the parking fee."

~~~

Waking up to the feeling of a warm weight lying across him, Jack found Danny's arm was snaked across his chest, the smooth face pressed against his shoulder, the long legs tangled in his own. It was late in the morning. The sun was already up over the trees. He had spent a restless night with Danny. The youngster had experienced a second nightmare even after they'd gone to bed that morning. He'd held Danny through the dream and its tears, protecting him with his body and his warmth.

Jack wondered if Jon had done anything like that for him. He doubted it. He, too, had been there and done that. Jack knew that Jon was afraid of his feelings for Danny. Jon was afraid of himself. He, too, had been afraid when he had first realized that he was in love with his Daniel. But, the younger man also had to learn that his fears were nothing compared to Danny's need of him.

The boyish figure moved sluggishly against him, slowly awakening to the morning. He rubbed his face against Jack's shoulder, instinctively inhaling the beloved scent, then he sighed.

Jack reached over and stroked the soft cheek. "Hey, sleeping beauty. You waking up?"

"Jack?"

"Yeah, Danny?"

The breath was let out in a puff. "Crap."

"Huh?"

"Sorry," one blue eye opened. "For just a moment there... I was... well, never mind."

"Oh," Jack got it. For a moment, Danny was Daniel again and he was in their own bed. "Sorry, kiddo, it's just me."

"No, no." Daniel rolled over and away from the older man. "I'm sorry I'm such a..."

Jack reached for him. "You are not a head case or a space cadet," he said soothingly, rubbing his hand on the slender back. "You had some really bad nightmares last night." When the blue eyes peeked up at him, Jack smiled. "That's all it was."

"Yes, the dreams... came back again."

"And that's all they are, dreams and memories. They'll fade. It will get better. I know."

Danny looked at him and nodded. "I guess you do at that."

They heard the sound of keys being inserted into the front door; Jack listened to the familiar sound and smiled. "Hey, sounds like Daniel's home."

"Damn, Jack. What's he going to say when... " Danny looked panicked as he looked around at the master bedroom..

The older man was already pulling on his robe. "Nothing, believe me. He'll understand about your nightmares." Jack smiled encouragingly at the young man's concern, then he stepped out into the living room.

Daniel was putting his briefcase on the table and looked up with a smile at his long time partner. "Hey, Jack. You really slept in this morning."

Jack stepped down into the living room and crossed the room to Daniel. They hugged and kissed happily. "Missed you, babe."

"I can tell." A bump on the door was heard and Daniel went back over to the entrance to let Jon in. The younger man entered, carrying Daniel's luggage. As he set the bags down, he looked up just in time to see Danny coming out of Jack's bedroom in a pair of oversized sweat pants.

Jon looked up at the same moment to see Danny's shocked expression at his presence. Then, as Danny stood frozen in place, Jon lunged toward the youngster, his face twisted in an angry scowl. Striding across the room, he grabbed the teen by the arms with bruising hands. "What the hell are you doing?"

Danny was still stunned by the sudden appearance of his roommate. "What? What do you... ?"

"What are you doing in his room?" Jon could now see the disturbed bedding. "God damn it! You were sleeping with him!"

Danny just stared up at his roommate, stunned, seemingly unable to move or say anything.

Jon couldn't believe the proof that was before his eyes. His Danny was sleeping with Daniel's Jack. His Danny was fucking Jack. His Danny wasn't his, if he ever had been. He wasn't his anymore. Blindly he shoved the smaller man away, releasing him, and letting him fall back against the door to slide gracelessly to the floor in a heap.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Jack bore down on Jon, grabbing his arm and pulling him around to face him.

"You sorry old son of a bitch!" Jon spit out. "What the fuck did you do?"

"DO? What did I do? What the hell... " Before he could finish his last question, Jack saw the wild punch coming. He managed to block it with his left forearm and landed a punch on Jon's jaw knocking the younger man back and into the living room away from the fallen youth.

Daniel reacted by running to and grabbing Jon to keep him from furthering his attack on his partner. "Stop it! Stop it, Jon. This won't solve anything!"

Jack had turned to aid Danny, but the youngster was on his feet and staggering out the French doors that he'd gone through the night before in the storm. The boy stumbled down the stairs and ran toward the green belt at the back of the property.

"Danny! Danny, come back here." Jack had followed him to the door but knew he couldn't catch the younger man once he hit his stride. He stood and watched for a moment as the boy disappeared into the trees. He then turned back to face their attacker.

Daniel had assisted Jon to his feet but kept a restraining hand on the young man's arm. "You! You stay right here!" he commanded. Then he turned to Jack. "And you! What is going on here?"

Jack walked into the living room area flexing his hand, sore from where he'd hit Jon. "Nothing!" he said angrily. "There is nothing going on here."

"Jon... "

"Jon, nothing!" the younger man shouted, heatedly. "Your boyfriend was sleeping with my Danny!"

"Yeah!" Jack responded to him in the same tone. "Emphasis on sleeping, you asshole!"

Daniel took a deep breath and asked in a calm voice, "Jack. What are you talking about?"

Jack looked at him shocked. "Daniel! You don't believe... ?"

His partner looked at him curiously. "It doesn't matter what I believe, Jack. Why don't you tell us what really happened." He noticed the older man's injured hand, he released Jon and went to O'Neill's side. "Come on, let me look at that." He guided Jack to a chair and made him sit down.

"Don't you see?" Jon demanded. "Don't you get it? He and Danny are... "

Daniel looked up momentarily from examining Jack's hand. "Jon, shut up." He flexed the damaged hand. "Tell me, Jack."

"Ouch! Damn it, that hurts!"

"Talk, Jack. Now!"

"Shit, okay, look," he glanced over at Jon, "last night a storm blew in. Danny had a bad nightmare. I found him standing out on the deck in the pouring rain half frozen. I brought him in and dried him off. He was practically catatonic from a nightmare he'd had, and he could barely talk. I didn't want to put him back in that empty guest room, so I took him into our room. That's all." He glared at Jon. "And it's a damn good thing I did, because he had another one after that."

"So," Daniel spoke in an exaggeratedly calm voice, "Danny had a nightmare, you found him outside and you took him to bed with you to keep an eye on him."

"Yes," Jack answered him with a nod. "That's what happened."

"You don't believe that crap do you?" Jon demanded.

Daniel turned to the younger man. "As a matter of fact I do."

"That's the biggest bunch of bullshit... "

"Jon, I believe him because that's what I would have done." He continued on reasonably. "It's what Danny needed... what he needs."

"And what you obviously aren't giving him," Jack added grimly.

"What the hell does that mean?" Jon shot back angrily.

"It means, genius, that Danny needs you. He wants to be near you, but you keep holding him at arms' length," Jack responded in a similar tone.

"What do you mean? I'm giving him everything I can. I even moved to another apartment so he could have his own room."

"Exactly!" Jack replied. "His own room, his own bed, his own space... but not his own Jon. He needs you, you idiot. But you keep pushing him away... just like you did here."

"You want him for yourself, you old bastard! I know it, he knows it, and now Daniel knows it too."

Jack looked shocked. He stopped and turned to his partner. "Is that what you think?" he asked weakly.

Daniel looked up from Jack's hand to smile into his eyes. "No. That's just his guilt talking." He turned to Jon. "Sorry, no help for you here." He leaned over and kissed Jack. "I know why you did what you did. You weren't very smart about it, but I understand."

"Damn it Daniel!" The younger man stalked over to the door and looked out.

"Jon, do you know what Danny wants?" Daniel asked gently.

"Well, sure. What everybody wants... he wants a life, a job... "

"No, Jon. He doesn't." Daniel turned to the confused younger man. "He wants a place. He wants a family. If you were to lose everything today and be out on the street, all he'd ask is to go with you."

"How do you know that?" Jon looked back at him.

Daniel raised an eyebrow. "Because that's what I would do if the same thing happened to Jack." He smiled. "And, all appearances aside, Danny is me."

Jack shook his head. "Not quite, Dann... Daniel. There's a bit of difference we all keep missing." He pulled Daniel into a hug, then continued. "Danny has been, for all intents and purposes, treated as a lab animal for almost two years." He looked from one man to the other. "He's got all the symptoms of someone with Post- Traumatic-Stress syndrome. The storm woke him up but it also put him some place else than here. He was reliving an experience... probably something from his captivity."

Jon looked devastated. "PTSS?"

Daniel nodded. "He was a captive of an unsympathetic alien scientist. You've seen the scars," Jack and Jon both nodded. "I've not seen them, but I did read his medical profile. I think we can agree he was treated worse than a prisoner."

"He told me that Loki would restrain him so that he wouldn't ruin the experiments," Jon commented softly. Jack nodded. "He's got scars all over his body, from biopsies and samples."

Jon only nodded. He'd seen them too.

Daniel saw the motion. "Do you know why Thor brought him to Earth?"

The younger man looked at him in confusion. "Because he's human?"

"Because of Jon?" Jack guessed.

Daniel nodded. "It makes sense. He knew Jon existed because he has my memories up until I was taken. He thought Jon would take him in."

"I did."

"Sort of yes, but not completely," Daniel amended. "You took him into your home, but not into your life. He thinks that you are only helping him."

"That's what he told me too," Jack put in before the younger man could protest. "You even rented a two-bedroom apartment."

"For him!" Jon protested. "I only did it for him. I didn't want him to feel pressured."

Jack scowled at his younger self. "Well, now he thinks you don't want him, that he's just a bother."

Jon looked at them in dismay. "That's not true! I want him... but... "

"But what, you idiot?" Jack glared at him.

"He... well, everyone... "

"Fuck everyone else!" the older man berated him. "Do you love him or not?"

"Of course I love him!"

"Have you told him?" Daniel asked softly.

"I...I don't know."

"Have you held him?" Jack pushed. "Hugged him? Hell, have you even touched him?"

"I've tried!" Jon shouted back at his older self. "He's afraid. He flinches away from me."

Daniel stepped away from Jack and took hold of Jon's shoulders. "He's not afraid of you, Jon. He's afraid that you don't want him and he's scared to death."

"I don't know what to do." He shook his head sadly.

Jack looked at him in disgust. "Of course you do, you moron. Now, you'd better go after him or you'll lose him for good."

Daniel slid his hands up to Jon's face and kissed him on the forehead. "He needs you, Jon. Don't keep yourself from him." He dropped his hands and stepped back to Jack's side.

Jon looked at the two of them standing together and he turned to walk out the door. As soon as he cleared the deck he started running in the direction that Danny had taken.

Jack looked at Daniel and shook his head. "I was never that stupid."

Daniel looked up at him and smiled. "Wanna bet?"

"Yep, and guess what? You lose!"

"Nope, I win... every time."

Chapter 4  
Jon quickly left the house and followed Danny toward the green belt area. Once he entered the tree-lined path, he could see the barefoot prints in the muddy soil. He grimaced, knowing the younger man would pay for his lack of footwear, but it would slow his prey down making him easier to catch.

He trotted down the trail following the sign for at least half a mile before he saw the prints leave the main trail and head off into the woods on a less-traveled path. Jon turned and went after them.

"Danny?" he called out. "Danny, we really need to talk." Well, that was stating the obvious, he thought. "Danny, where are you?"

There was no answer, but Jon kept up the pace. He knew this area like the back of his hand. There was nothing dangerous here. It was surrounded by civilization and only populated by a few coyotes, some deer and raccoons. But the landscape itself was hazardous to the careless. There was rough ground and steep drop offs every so often. It took an experienced hiker to safely travel the path that Danny had chosen.

Jon passed the large boulder where he thought the younger man was headed. He remembered from years passed that Daniel had often sought it as a place of quietude and contemplation. Now he was beginning to get concerned. The path led on, heading upwards to a rocky cliff. It wasn't tall by Colorado standards, fifteen feet or so, but high enough that an unexpected fall could injure. Daniel usually avoided it, but it seemed to be where Danny was headed.

A short distance later, Jon thought he saw a flash of bare skin through the trees. He cleared the brush to enter a small glen. There he found his wayward roommate.

As he exited the trees, he called out softly to the younger man. "Hey."

Danny was sitting at the very edge of the cliff, one foot hanging over the edge the other curled up under him. He turned his head to look over his shoulder. "Hey."

"Whatcha doin?" The older man took the opportunity to step closer to his friend.

"Thinking."

"'Bout what?"

"Jumping."

"Wha? Why?" Jon paused for fear of Danny completing his threat.

The younger man only shook his head. A pebble was dislodged by the slight movement of the slender body and it tumbled down the bare granite wall.

>From his new vantage point Jon could see just how close the other was to the edge. "You don't really want to do that do you?"

"I haven't decided yet," came the muffled reply.

"Can I talk to you?"

Yet another shrug scattered more gravel down the embankment.

"I don't want you to jump." Jon moved closer.

"It's not always about what you want, Jon," Danny replied sadly. "Sometimes there's more at stake than just desires."

"That's true." He had finally gotten up next to the other man. "Can I sit down?"

"It's a free country; at least, that's what they say."

"Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness," the older man quoted. "Something we seem to have a monopoly on here on good old Mother Earth." He sat down close to Danny and dangled his long legs over the edge. "You know, if you go, I'll go too."

Danny looked over at him. "Why? You have everything you want; your career, your future."

Jon cocked his head sideways. "I do now. But if you fall, I won't."

The younger man looked over at him. "That's not true. I'm the one thing that stands in your way. I'm just something the Asgard dumped on you."

"You're not a puppy, Danny. If I hadn't taken you, Jack and Daniel would have." He snorted. "Hell, Paul Davis would have jumped at the chance."

"I don't want to be with Davis." The blue eyes met his. "I'd rather not be with Jack and Daniel. I want to be with you. But I'm too much trouble... "

"What makes you think that you're any trouble?" Jon replied quickly. "I want you with me. Hell, every night I'd wish for you." He smiled as he glanced up at the sky then back at Danny. "I guess Thor finally heard me."

"You did?" The soft voice held a tone of disbelief.

"Of course. What good is an O'Neill without a Jackson?"

"You were doing all right without me," Danny said softly. "You're going to be assigned to the SGC as soon as all your training is complete. You'll get your own team again. You'll make a difference." He looked back down at the sheer drop off. "They already have one Daniel Jackson there. I'm just a copy."

Jon reached over and took the younger man's hand in his. "No, that's not true. You're very special." He paused for a moment, then looked over at him. "I heard some of the guys talking about how you can read stuff that Daniel can't. How you can figure things out quicker."

"They're wrong, you know." He shook his head. "I'm still learning. Daniel is... "

"Daniel's been doing this for a long time. He's very good, probably the best in his field, but you have the same advantage over him that I have over Jack. You're younger, quicker, and you're healthier." Jon looked at him. "You know he doesn't go through the Stargate anymore. He has to rely on finds that other people bring back."

Curiosity peaked, Danny looked at Jon. "Why doesn't he go anywhere anymore?"

"Several years ago, when Carter was still team chief, they got trapped off world on a planet that was still in an early industrial age. They used petroleum products for fuel and the air was really bad there. He had an allergic reaction to the pollutants. Daniel nearly died of a severe allergic asthma attack."

Danny shook his head. "That's not true. He would have told me."

"No, it is true. By the time they got him back to the SGC he was nearly dead."

"But, he seems normal."

"Well, he is mostly, but he's more sensitive now. If he's exposed to too many allergens or pollutants he has an attack." Jon nodded. "You actually have perfect lungs compared to him. When Loki recreated you he didn't get rid of your allergies, but evidently because you haven't been exposed to so much stuff wherever Loki had you, your lungs are clean."

"How do you know all this?" Danny looked at him skeptically.

"I overheard the Doc and Davis talking about it a while back," Jon said honestly. "You're the SGCs great white hope. I'm just another jock with delusions of importance."

"Oh, I see." Danny shook his head. "I'm important to the SGC."

Jon quickly realized that he'd made a tactical error. "Uh, Danny, that's not the main issue here." He shook his head. "I'm not sure I want you going off world anyway... at least not without me."

The younger man looked at him is surprise. "Why not?"

"Look, I may be me but I have Jack's memories too, ya know. I've seen you die... several times... and I really don't want you to do that again."

"But Jon... "

"No, Danny. I mean, I know that I don't have any say about what you do, but... "

"Jon."

"What?"

"I told General Davis that I wasn't really interested in going off world unless it was a really special mission. I...I wanted to wait until you come to the SGC." Danny looked up at the older man. "I guess then I'd want to go... to be with you."

"You want to go off world with me?"

"Well, with your team anyway... that is if you let me go with you."

"I don't want you going without me," Jon said quickly. He shifted his position and more gravel rained down the edge. "Look, can we back away from here?" The older man reached out and gripped Danny's wrist. "I'm beginning to get a little nervous."

"Oh, sure." Danny scooted back from the edge, Jon followed him quickly. They both stopped several feet from the drop off. When Jon released his wrist, the younger man lay back on the soft dirt on the path and looked up at the clouds in the sky. He crossed his arms behind his head.

Jon looked down at him. "So, um, you don't want to go through the gate without me?"

"No." He looked up at Jon and smiled gently. "I started this, well Daniel did, more than twenty years ago to find Sha'uri. He kept it up to be with Jack. It wouldn't feel right to go without you."

Jon smiled. "Good, because I don't want to think of you going without me to watch your six." He leaned down to look into the blue eyes. "It's too nice a six to risk."

Danny snorted. "Yes, of course. My whole one hundred and thirty pounds and my skinny little butt."

"Ah, but it's a nicely shaped butt. It matches the rest of you, perfect, well formed, and very pleasant to look at."

The younger man gave him a searching look. "I beg your pardon?"

Jon grinned down at him. "Butt, ass, behind, gluteus maximus, buttocks, yours, cute, watching, me."

"You're kidding, right?"

"I was never more serious." He leaned over Danny and very gently, softly kissed him.

The blue eyes grew impossibly large and a slender arm slowly reached up to encircle the other man's neck. Jon drew back a few inches. "I do love you, you know."

"No," Danny answered breathlessly. "No, I didn't."

"I was just... I didn't want to put any pressure on you. I wanted to give you a choice."

"Jon, I made my choice a very long time ago... when I was Daniel and you were Jack," the younger man answered emphatically.

"But things are different now," the older man said softly. "We're different now. I couldn't assume that you wanted things to be the same for us as it was before."

"Why do you think I came back here?" Danny asked. "I came here to be with you." He chewed on his lip briefly. "I love you. I always have."

Jon bent down and kissed him again, this time with passion. He felt as if electricity passed between them. Danny clung to him like a drowning man, opening for him, accepting the kiss totally. The older man reached behind him and pulled him into an impassioned embrace. After several moments, they broke apart, needing to breathe. Danny leaned against his partner.

"I can hear your heart beating."

"Good," Jon smiled at him. "It's beating for you."

They sat there in the shade of the tall pine trees with their arms wrapped around each other, quietly appreciating the contact. Finally, Jon ran his hand through the messy blond hair and kissed the younger man on the top of his head, "We need to get back before the guys think we've killed each other."

"I think they know that's not very likely."

"Okay, then let's get back so we can go to our apartment and, um, continue to work this out."

Danny sighed and rubbed his cheek against Jon's shirt. "I am getting a little cool."

Jon rubbed his hands up and down the bare back and arms. "C'mon, I'll warm you up."

The younger man smiled up at him. "Is that a promise?"

They pulled apart and looked at each other. Danny was obviously aroused by the close contact. Jon bent down and kissed the hairless chest on the sternum between the two hard nipples. "Oh, yeah." He shifted position to kiss the warm open lips again. "I promise you'll never be cold again as long as I'm around."

Danny chuckled, sounding like a naughty little boy. Jon shook his head. "Are you sure you're old enough for this?"

"Jon, I don't quite know how to figure my age now, but I can guarantee I'm at least thirty-nine."

"Oh, and why do you think that?"

"Well, I was twenty-nine when we opened... "

"You opened."

"All right, when I opened the Stargate, thirty when I came back from Abydos. Thirty-six when I ascended, and even skipping a year while I was gone, thirty-seven when I was, er, collected. Then I spent a year and a half with Loki and five months with the Asgard. I've been here a month, so that's thirty-nine."

"But you look... "

"But, I'm not,"

"Okay, you're not." Jon sighed in agreement. "But this body of yours is still... "

"What?" Danny frowned at him.

"Virgin."

"I don't think that counts with men, Jon."

"When you look like you do, Danny, it counts."

"So what? You're going to pop my cherry?"

"Someday, maybe." Jon tried to grin lasciviously.

"Tonight?"

"Maybe."

"Maybe?"

"We'll have to see."

Danny kissed him again until they once more had to break apart for air. "Well, then lets go see what we can see."

~~~

Jack was sitting on the deck, looking out toward the tree line. Daniel came outside with two cups of coffee and handed one to his partner.

"You think they're all right?" He turned to the younger man.

"Yes, Jack." Daniel sat down next to him. "I think they're fine."

"I wish they'd hurry and get back."

"Why? There's still lots of time before dark."

"Well, I had planned on our own reunion this afternoon, but we can't start until they're gone."

Daniel looked at his partner with a grin. "I don't know why. You had a young nubile man in your bed last night."

Jack snorted. "Not the one I wanted though. All I got was body heat and some cuddling." He raised his eyebrows in a Groucho imitation. "Wanna go to bed, young man?"

"I'm fifty years old, hardly a young man."

"I'm sixty-three; you've got me beat."

"And with the libido of a thirty-year-old."

"Thanks to you, my libido is alive and living in Colorado." Jack smiled. "Come on, baby. Lay one on me."

His partner leaned over obediently and gave him a noisy kiss.

"Hey, cut that out... you'll scare the neighbors," Jon's voice called out to them as he and Danny came across the lawn.

"Nope, they're used to hearing strange noises from this house. Yelling and screaming and carrying on." Jack returned. "And it's about time you two got back here. I was going to send out the police on a man hunt."

Jon and Danny stepped up on the deck. Jack and Daniel noticed that the older man had hold of the boy's hand.

"So did you get things ironed out?" Daniel asked.

"Still in the negotiation phase actually," Danny replied with a blush.

"Well, good." Jack nodded. "It's about time." He looked at the younger version of himself. "You're going to lose. You do realize that?"

Jon returned the nod with a grin. "I think that's a foregone conclusion."

Daniel looked at Danny who turned an even deeper shade of pink. "So you two staying for lunch?"

"Uh, no, we're going to go back to the apartment and finish our discussion."

"Good! Go! Discuss!" Jack waved at them.

"Jack!" his partner protested.

"Hey, I've got my own plans for this afternoon."

"Well, then... " Jon turned to his companion and smiled. "Let's go. Where are your things?"

"In the guest room."

"Well, run up and get them." He surreptitiously patted the younger man on the butt. "And we'll leave the old fogeys to their own devices."

Danny smiled up at him and headed for the guest room. "Don't get up. We'll let ourselves out," Jon assured the older couple.

"Finally, figured it out, did you?"

"Yeah."

"Feel pretty stupid, don't cha?"

"Yeah."

"Don't take it to heart. At your age I wouldn't listen to anyone either. Just lock the door behind ya, okay?"

Jon looked at him questioningly. "Sure."

"Saves me a few steps... and at my age they matter." Jack chuckled. "And I got better things to do with my energy. I have my own linguist to welcome home."

Jon looked at the now blushing Daniel. "How do you put up with him?"

"Practice, long years of practice."

"Jon, I'm ready."

He smiled at Jack and Daniel. "I'm on my way, Danny."

As he joined Danny in the living room, Jon heard Jack calling after him, "About damned time!"

the end (for now)


End file.
